


First Discoveries

by gabriel_mc



Series: Oscar Wilde, America 2017 [2]
Category: Oscar Wilde - Fandom
Genre: Ghosts, Magic, Modern AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-23
Updated: 2017-08-23
Packaged: 2018-12-19 01:05:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11886675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gabriel_mc/pseuds/gabriel_mc
Summary: You show Oscar what guinea pigs are and how smartphones work.





	First Discoveries

When you get home, you immediately run upstairs to your room, temporarily forgetting Oscar is there. But when you get to your room and set down your backpack, Oscar follows, clearly not really knowing what to do with himself. You don’t know what to do with him either, seeing as he’s been plopped down in an unrecognizable world. 

“Okay. I guess you’ve probably got a lot of questions,” you say, sitting down on the floor. Oscar follows suit, albeit rather uncomfortably. He sighs and brushes some of his hair off his face. 

“You are right. I’m utterly, completely, absolutely confused by everything that’s going on. I don’t know where I am, when I am, who you are, why I’m here… everything’s a great mystery to me. How do those ‘cars’ work?” he asks. 

You realize in that moment that you don’t actually know how cars work, mechanically at least. You’ve grown up with them around you, yet you never stopped to think about what makes them run. You try to come up with an answer based on what little knowledge you have. 

“Well, um, you put gasoline in the car, and then the engine burns it, and when you press on the pedal on the floor the car starts to move.”

Oscar looks even more perplexed than before. You give up. “In truth, I don’t know how cars work.” You throw in a shrug to accompany your words. “I’ve always just assumed that they… I don’t know, ran? I mean, I knew they didn’t run by themselves but I just never thought about how they work.” 

Oscar contemplates this and says, “Of course. We never stop to think about the mechanisms inside everyday things.” He stops and looks at the window, and then back at you again. “I have been very rude. Apologies,” he says, nodding. “I never thought to ask you your name.” 

“Alex,” you say. “And you’re Mr. Wilde, if I’m not hallucinating.”

Oscar giggles a bit. This makes you laugh too; it’s such a funny sight. “Please, call me Oscar,” he says, “and quite honestly I cannot tell you whether or not you’re hallucinating.” 

He looks around the room for a second, taking in the flashy colors and posters. You wince, thinking about how messy your room is. There are art supplies all over the floor, posters hanging in random places, a desk cluttered with papers and notebooks, and - you see the moment when Oscar sees it - a cage holding two guinea pigs. 

Oscar gets on his feet as quickly as is possible for him, and walks swiftly over to the cage. “What are those?” he asks.

“Those are guinea pigs. They’re my pets.” 

The small rodents run to the edge of the cage to get a better look at Oscar. They squeak at him with shrill little voices, startling him. But once he gets over the initial shock of seeing something you assume he’s never seen before, he leans in closer, peering at the guinea pigs. 

“They’re so… small,” he observes. You stifle a laugh. He’s not wrong. “They make such funny noises.”

“Yeah, sometimes they wake me up. But overall they make great pets. Here,” you say, opening the cage to take one out. You lift it by its belly as it squeals. Once it’s safe in your arms, it relaxes a bit and tones down to small warbling. 

You bring it to Oscar. “You can pet her if you like, she’s very soft,” you say. Oscar hesitantly lays a hand on the guinea pig. Its squeaks get louder and he pulls back. “No, it’s fine,” he says. But he does look at it in a softer tone than before. “She is quite cute.”

Once the guinea pig is back in its cage, you turn to Oscar. You’re about to say something when your phone buzzes with a text from a friend. You pull it out of your pocket. You text your friend back while Oscar watches in amazement. It takes you a moment to notice him. 

“Oh… right. There’s a lot you don’t know.”

“What in God’s good name is that… thing?” he asks. 

“It’s a smartphone. Oh wait,” you trail off as you realize that he barely knows what a regular telephone is like. “You know telephones?” 

“Yes.” 

“It’s like a different version of a telephone, or as we call them, simply phones. It can call people, send people messages through text -”

“Similar to a telegraph?”

“Yeah!” you exclaim. Maybe this will be easier than you thought. “But way faster. Instantly, in fact. Here, let me show you.” You hold the phone so Oscar can see. You send off a text to your friend, who replies instantly. “See how fast it goes?”

“That is absolutely incredible. To think of what would have happened if we had those when I was… alive…” he looks into the near distance. His face twists into slight confusion. “Again I ask myself, why am I here?” 

There’s an awkward silence as you can’t answer. You finally break it with, “Well, since you are here, I might as well show you how this world works.”


End file.
